DTE Energy received more attention than expected during its third annual "Customer Assistance Day" at Cobo Hall.

The event – scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today – was cut short, after thousands of people berated the hall in downtown Detroit for a chance to receive help financing their bills from the Detroit-based utility company, according to Twitter.

As many as 5,000 people were expected to turn out for the event, which was advertised as having more than $1 million in energy assistance available for low income families

"We want to reach out to them before the heating season, before their bills get too big. The bottom line is we don't want any of our customers shut-off," said Joyce Hayes-Giles, DTE Energy assistant to the chairman and senior vice president of customer service, in a release before the event.

Customers had to bring the following documents in order to receive help: their last DTE Energy bill, photo identification, proof of income and Social Security Number. Eligible, low income customers will be referred to agencies like DHS and THAW for energy assistance.